A beer garden (a loan translation from the German Biergarten) is an outdoor area in which beer and local food are served, typically at shared tables. Common entertainment include music, song, and games, enjoyed in an atmosphere of Gemütlichkeit.
Beer gardens originated in Munich, the capital of the German state of Bavaria, in the 19th century, and remain common in Southern Germany. They are usually attached to a brewery, beer hall, pub, or restaurant, with a distinction being made between a Wirtsgarten where only food sold by the venue is allowed and a traditional Biergarten where patrons may also bring their own.
Beer garden popularity is increasing worldwide in the 21st century.
It is unknown which Munich brewery opened the first Bavarian Biergärten, but it was likely one of Munich's big six: Löwenbräu, Hofbräuhaus, Augustinerbräu, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr and Spaten. What is known is that they developed in the then Kingdom of Bavaria in the 19th century.
Seasonal limitations on when beer could be brewed were already in the Bavarian brewing regulations by 1539; in 1553, Albert V decreed a period from 29 September, the feast of St. Michael, to 23 April, the feast of Saint George, for its production. The cool seasons were chosen to minimize the risk of fire when boiling mashed grain into wort. Numerous conflagrations had occurred, resulting in the prohibition of brewing during the summer months. In response, large breweries dug cellars in the banks of the River Isar to keep their beer cool during storage. "Beer cellars" for consuming beer on premises naturally followed.